THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING GRAPHICS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

The success of Instagram and Pinterest prove that people can take action purely on visuals alone. So why do visuals play such a huge rule on social media? Let’s break it down.

Here’s 5 Reasons Why Visuals Are Vital on Social Media

#1 | Visuals Are More Attention Grabbing and Memorable Than Text Alone

This concept has been around since the beginning of advertising. And if you’re a visual learner this is nothing new to you. A visual representation tells a better story and can play to the viewers’ emotions.

For example, if you’re hungry and you see a picture of a sandwich on Facebook, you’ll continue to read the ad. On the other hand, if it had been a post without the visual of a sandwich, it wouldn’t have had much affect on you and it’s likely you wouldn’t have noticed it.

It’s also important to point out time moves faster these days. Well, not literally, but it’s evident that our world moves at a faster pace and we digest content faster than our own parents did a few decades ago. We have a shorter attention span and respond better to short and concise messages. Hence the popular 140 twitter character limit. It’s easier for us to remember a visual post that caught our quick eye.

#2 | People Are More Compelled to Take Action With a Visual

Fact: Visual content is more than 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content(source). Visual content can be anything from a blog post graphic to a picture of your workspace.

Get creative. Take pictures of your products or your day-to- day life to get followers to connect with your business on a personal level. The more they feel a personal connection with your business, the more likely they are to become customers.

Infographics have grown in popularity over the past few years because of their high engagement rates. Studies show that people pay closer attention to the text they read on infographics. By presenting facts visually with accompanying relevant visuals, readers are more likely to follow directions and share and/or like your post.

Quotes are very popular as well for likes and shares, because they express emotion. To run a successful business you need to stay motivated. Quotes are a great way for businesses to spread positivity and motivation. For my business, I search for posts that mean something to me/will motivate my readers.

For instance one of my favourite quotes is, “I only see my goals, I don’t believe in failure” - Lukas Graham. When I read that quote it reminds me to stay positive. I won’t let failure be a possibility. The same is true when I see inspirational quotes on social media. They always feel like a little pick me up.

If you want to see conversions, offer a guide! Trust me - this marketing technique works. In order for your guides to pull in real leads and sales, you need to show a visual of your guide on social media. Just saying you have a guide is not enough. The visual is the selling point. Here’s an example of a tweet I created for one of my guides:

4. Graphics Help You Build Brand Awareness

When graphics are used consistently over several social media platforms,eople will start to recognise your brand. In a high-saturated business market, your brand needs to stand out from the rest. Do this by staying true and consistent with your branding.

Take a look at the businesses thriving on Pinterest. Krista Rae is one example of a business owner who’s grown a huge following in a few short months. All of her businesses pins look the same. Consistency is key.

5. Graphics Strengthen Brands

Good, clean visuals heighten your company's status in the eyes of the customer. They can make your business look professional. You do that by choosing or creating graphics that attract your target market.

If your website has old visuals potential customers may be deterred. My advice is to invest in high quality imagery from sites like Getty Images, Shutterstock and Creative Market for your website and social media images.

What’s your opinion on social media visuals? Do you create graphics for your social media posts or are you planning on creating them in the near future?

Kelly is the graphic designer and blogger behind Red Lantern Creative. She loves helping entrepreneurs and bloggers create a brand they can be proud of through quality branding and digital designs. She also enjoys sharing tips and tricks she’s learned along the way.